Editing Prometheus (section)

====Plato and philosophy====
[[Olga Raggio]], in her study "The Myth of Prometheus", attributes Plato in the ''[[Protagoras (dialogue)|Protagoras]]'' as an important contributor to the early development of the Prometheus myth.<ref name="Raggio">{{cite journal |last=Raggio |first=Olga |author-link=Olga Raggio |year=1958 |title=The Myth of Prometheus: Its Survival and Metamorphoses up to the Eighteenth Century |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=21 |issue=1/2 |pages=44–62 |doi=10.2307/750486 |jstor=750486 |s2cid=195045738 }}</ref> Raggio indicates that many of the more challenging and dramatic assertions which Aeschylean tragedy explores are absent from Plato's writings about Prometheus.<ref>Plato (1958). ''Protagoras'', p.&nbsp;320&nbsp;ff.</ref>

As summarised by Raggio,{{blockquote|After the gods have moulded men and other living creatures with a mixture of clay and fire, the two brothers Epimetheus and Prometheus are called to complete the task and distribute among the newly born creatures all sorts of natural qualities. Epimetheus sets to work but, being unwise, distributes all the gifts of nature among the animals, leaving men naked and unprotected, unable to defend themselves and to survive in a hostile world. Prometheus then steals the fire of creative power from the workshop of [[Athena]] and Hephaistos and gives it to mankind.}} Raggio then goes on to point out Plato's distinction of creative power (''techne''), which is presented as superior to merely natural instincts (''physis'').

For Plato, only the virtues of "reverence and justice can provide for the maintenance of a civilised society – and these virtues are the highest gift finally bestowed on men in equal measure".{{sfnp|Raggio|1958|p=45}} The ancients by way of Plato believed that the name ''Prometheus'' derived from the Greek [[prefix]] ''pro''- (before) + ''manthano'' (intelligence) and the [[agent suffix]] -''eus'', thus meaning "Forethinker".

In his dialogue titled ''Protagoras'', [[Plato]] contrasts Prometheus with his dull-witted brother [[Epimetheus (mythology)|Epimetheus]], "Afterthinker".<ref>Plato, ''[[Protagoras (dialogue)#Protagoras' opening speech|Protagoras]]''</ref><ref>Hansen, ''Classical Mythology,'' p.&nbsp;159.</ref> In Plato's dialogue ''[[Protagoras (dialogue)|Protagoras]]'', Protagoras asserts that the gods created humans and all the other animals, but it was left to Prometheus and his brother [[Epimetheus (mythology)|Epimetheus]] to give defining attributes to each. As no physical traits were left when the pair came to humans, Prometheus decided to give them fire and other civilising arts.<ref name="titan">{{cite web |url=http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html |title=Theoi Project: Prometheus |publisher=Theoi.com |access-date=2012-05-18 |archive-date=2012-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528222747/http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html |url-status=live }}</ref>